The store was open.
I got out my tools.
I did what needed to be done.
Parts are replaced
Something is repaired.
A friend of ours is moving back to New Jersey. I know! They are driving up to take care of their aging parents so don't need a household's worth of stuff. Literally gave everything away. We got their washing machine.
Unfortunately the mere act of turning the valves off caused the seals around the stems to start leaking. Thag B L33T Plumzors (heh heh, heh heh; he spelled bleat).
Note to helpful Home Depot drone. When I show you what came off the wall, that's what I want. I don't want what I am "supposed" to have. Supposed to have is for new build where they no longer use boiler drains for washer hook-ups. I didn't want to convert from 1/2" female NPT on the pipes to 1/2" compression fittings just to use the spiffy chrome plated shut-off valves. NPT is better.
By the way, that's $11.50 in valves and $21 in new hoses to completely cure the leaks. The appliance place charges $50 just to come out to attach hoses, and they don't fix valves. The plumber charges $150 for the first two hours (or part thereof), $50 for each additional hour plus parts which are triple what Home Depot charges (and they don't attach hoses).
It's nice not to be helpless in the face of home-ownership.
If they were leaking around the stems, usually it can be fixed by tightening the packing nut. That's a l9t easier than replacing the whole valve.
ReplyDeleteI understand about the drones at the big DIY stores. Having been a journeyman electrician, I just tell them to point and I'll get what I need. One kid tried to explain how to do a job that I had only done hundreds of times. I was less than amused and I told him when he had the years of experience I had he could give advice. They sure get butt hurt when you tell them they don't knoow shit about how those jobs really work. It's never like the book says.
They were badly corroded. The main portion of the leak was coming around a small erosion channel from years of seeping past the seals.
DeleteIt was time for a new valve on the cold side.
I originally thought of rebuilding them, but $5.75 for a whole valve or $4.99 for a repack (with no assurance that I'd grabbed the right one of ten nearly identical packs in baggies).